But businesses warned Wales can ill-afford the level of economic disruption caused by the freezing weather.

Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the Institute of Directors in Wales, said: “Whilst it’s good to see the children enjoying themselves in the snow, the disruption is another blow that business can do without.

“In a tough month that’s already seen notable retail casualties, the high street is made to suffer further. Shoppers stay at home, workers must take a day off to look after children and all manner of services are disrupted.

“The key concern, of course, is safety and I’m glad to say that I’ve witnessed much patience and common sense today.”

Forecasters believe around 25 to 30cm of snow fell in South Wales’ more mountainous regions such as the Brecon Beacons.

Determined commuters struggled with the roads this morning and several closures were in place up and down the country.

South Wales was hit worst by the weather – the M4 between Cardiff and Bridgend was closed for more than three hours and reopened to slow-moving traffic by 2pm.

Roads caused problems for both the emergency services and power suppliers.

Around 10,000 Western Power Distribution customers were without power due to faults in the morning.

The worst-hit areas were Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen, while Brecon, Bridgend, Swansea and the Valleys also faced problems.

By 2pm, 5,000 customers were still without power as the engineers struggled to make their way to the faults.

This was lowered to below 800 by 5.30pm.

A spokesman for Western Power Distribution said: “We have additional crews attempting to travel in from Brecon and helicopters on standby to move staff into the area when it stops snowing.

“The forecast is for low temperatures over the weekend with possibly more of the same on Monday – our plan is to remain open 24/7 whilst the current conditions persist with increased staff levels over the weekend as necessary.”

By the afternoon, the Welsh Ambulance Service had attended more than 480 emergency calls across Wales.

Out of these, 150 came from the Powys, Hywel Da and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg areas, more than 200 were attended in Cardiff and the Vale, Cwm Taf and Aneurin Bevan areas while, more than 130 were attended in Betsi Cadwaladr.

Gordon Roberts from the Welsh Ambulance Service said: “The Trust is very grateful to all staff who have made every effort to get to a trust building to provide a response to the public, even if not from their usual base station, including those who have come in on their days off.”

Some health boards cancelled appointments scheduled for today.

Those who relied on public transport were met with cancellations and delays across many of Arriva Trains Wales’ and First Great Western’s services through Wales.

Hit hardest were the Valley lines, which experienced delays until mid-afternoon, while a reduced service was introduced on the First Great Western line between Swansea and London.

A spokesperson for Arriva Trains Wales said: “Due to issues on the roads, we expect our services to be very busy, so we are asking people to travel only if absolutely necessary and to take care when using platforms and walkways, as snow may result in slippery underfoot conditions.

“We would like to thank our customers for their continued patience whilst we work to reduce the impact of the extreme weather and ongoing infrastructure issues.”

A number of further education colleges and universities were also shut.

Swansea University decided on Thursday afternoon to reschedule all examinations originally set to be taken today.

A Met Office forecaster predicted a quiet weekend for Wales, but with the possibility of more snow on Monday.

He said: “By the morning, there isn’t likely to be much snowfall in Wales and most of the weekend will stay mostly dry.

“The temperatures will not be far off freezing, but we are expecting a quiet weekend in all.

“There is a possibility of perhaps more snow, but we are not sure about that at this point.”

More snow on Monday is a grave concern for businesses and retailers already facing a difficult time with the current economic climate.

Due to road closures and delayed public transport, packed with passengers avoiding the roads, shoppers steered clear of some of Wales’ city centres while the flurry of snow remained.

In Cardiff, St David’s shopping centre was open but far quieter than on a usual Friday afternoon. The majority of retailers were able to open, but some were forced to close early to ensure staff were able to get home safely.

Centre manager Mark Nott said: “Following the recent trend towards colder winters, St David’s has worked closely with the wider city on a winter weather plan and we were well prepared for today’s snowfall, which helped us ensure that access was clear from the outset.

“Some of our retailers are expected to close early to ensure that all staff are able to get home safely.

“Overall, the centre has been quieter than normal, however we are pleased to have been able to operate as a normal trading day, and expect this will continue over the weekend.”

During the snow storms of 2011, it is estimated £7bn was lost by British businesses as employees struggled to get to work, according to the Welsh women’s economic development agency Chwarae Teg.

The organisation is campaigning for more businesses to try remote working to avoid this kind of loss of revenue.

Chief executive Joy Kent said: “Businesses do have an opportunity to overcome any obstacles that affect productivity by looking into alternative working practices, such as remote working.

“There is strong evidence that proves that, during exceptional circumstances, the organisations that stand the best chance of remaining productive and profitable are those that allow staff members to work from home when appropriate and have the right technology in place to enable them to do so.”

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